Bearly Healed: Pacific Northwest Bears: (Shifter Romance) (10 page)

C
ash walked
into the hallway and didn’t just step across from the door. He moved down so he was leaning against the wall that led into the great room. He could see Connie and Edward sitting with Wyatt and Jinger. Cage was in the kitchen and came around to stand with his arms crossed looking at Cash.

The air was silent, and Cash let it be. He didn’t need to explain himself. Everyone in the room knew the circumstances of what had transpired. He was waiting for them to tell him that she wasn’t ready or that he should back off. Cash was daring them with his eyes to give him any advice on how to handle his mate.

Cage was the first one to say something. He walked up to Cash and offered a hand. Cash grabbed it and shook it.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you man. But I have faith you’ve got this handled,” he said giving his hand a pump.

Cash was shocked. He figured his Alpha would be all over him. It wasn’t like he could help who he was mated to, but that didn’t stop people from giving their two cents.

“No warnings, no lists of things I should or should not do?” Cash asked incredulously.

“No man, the fates gave you to her for a reason. She must need you more than anyone else in the world. If anyone can keep her safe, it’s you,” Cage said. His bear was close to the surface to show Cash that he was on board too.

“Thank you for that,” Cash said, truly humbled by his Alpha’s faith in him. It meant a lot to him and his bear.

“I put a call in to Dax. They are flying out. There was no way to stop them. Effie was on a tear and with her so close to her due date, he didn’t want her freaking out from afar. Better she be here with Cassie. Dax thinks she could have the baby here, and it would be better with Mom and Kenzi here for her,” Cage explained.

“Makes sense. Cassie will like knowing Effie is on her way,” Cash said.

“How is she taking it, dear?” Connie asked from behind Cage.

Cash looked around his alpha to see the worried look on his Aunt’s face. “Guess,” Cash said.

“I thought so.” Connie sighed.

“I’m sorry Maizy scared her, Cash. She feels really bad, don’t you Maizy?” Jinger asked her daughter sitting in her lap. Maizy just clapped her hands and blew Cash a raspberry.

Cash let out a chuckle. “I think her bear knows more than we do,” he said. He could have sworn he saw the little girl wink.

“When is Dax getting here?” Cash asked.

“He was going to arrange things tonight and tell Effie in the morning, so sometime around noon would be my guess,” Cage replied.

Turning his head towards the hallway, he looked back at Connie and Edward. “Cassie’s done. I’m gonna be spending the night if that is okay with you.”

“As long as it’s okay with Cassie,” Edward replied. He was giving Cash a hard look too. Cash understood and gave him a nod back.

Giving a chin lift to the rest of the room, he made his way back to the bathroom. The door opened, and Cash took in a hobbling Cassie. She was holding onto the door frame for dear life. He let out a low growl to alert her that he did not like her walking unassisted.

Cassie gave a very unladylike snort. “Like that scares me, you big bully.”

Cash didn’t say anything. He just scooped her gently back into his arms and walked her back to the bedroom. Cassie was smart this time and didn’t look into the room with the curious eyes.

He kicked the door closed behind them, and when Cassie expected him to lay her on the bed, he surprised her by turning and sitting down on her bed with her still in his arms.

“What the…” she started.

“Shh, I need to hold you. We need to hold you,” he explained to her.

“I don’t get it. I feel like I’ve taken too many meds. I’m tired and freaked way the hell out, Cash,” she admitted. Her brief time alone in the bathroom made her head spin. It was all too much in too little an amount of time.

Cassie knew enough about shifters that the whole mating things was pretty much beyond their control. Effie once told her that Dax admitted after they had been together that he loved her from the moment he saw her. Like truly loved her. Cassie couldn’t fathom that. You didn’t fall in love at first sight.

Sure you made snap decisions on whether you’d take a guy home from a bar. You made snap decisions to get a tattoo. But you couldn’t fall in love at the drop of a hat. Love took time and sacrifice. At least that’s what she’d always assumed. She’d never been in love. Of that, she was sure. Not even close.

That wasn’t exactly true, she admitted to herself. She loved Effie. She’d die for Effie; take a bullet for her. If she didn’t have her best friend, she knew she would wither and die. Or worse end up like her mother. And yes, ending up like her mother was worse than death. That was a life that she hadn’t completely removed herself from, but she wasn’t actively seeking. Thanks in large part to her bestie and her bestie’s mate.

Now she was sitting on the lap of a man that dwarfed her by probably weighing triple what she did and had to be at least two feet taller than her. By the bulge of his erection underneath her, she knew for sure that part would never work out.

She was trying to think while she sat rigidly on his lap. But the soft firm stroking down her back by a big warm hand was clouding her brain.

“Stop rubbing me, Mr. Handsy,” she groused though there wasn’t a lot of force behind the demand.

“No.”

The rubbing continued.

“You can’t just say “No.” Someone says stop touching them, common decency says you stop,” Cassie scoffed.

“No.”

The rubbing continued.

“Seriously, bossy britches. You need to go out there and deal with the rest of your nosy family and let me take a pill and pass out for a while.” Cassie was starting to think it was an excellent idea.

“Are you in pain?” Cash asked, worried that moving her around had hurt her.

“Just in my ass,” she murmured. Then she felt the shake of his laughter under her. She totally didn’t want to admit she found him funny. Bossy, but funny.

“So, do you have your clothes special made by a team of tiny squirrel shifters or is there a local big and tall store just for the Rochon family?” Cassie figured if he wasn’t going to leave her alone she’d use her patented obnoxious Cassie routine to get what she wanted.

“I manage just fine. There is an internet connection even out in the woods,” Cash said, still chuckling.

“So there are squirrel shifters, interesting,” she said clucking her tongue.

“Not that I’m aware of, Sprite,” he answered. He didn’t care what she wanted to talk about. Hell, she could sit and curse him until she was blue in the face. As long as he had her on his lap and in his arms, he and his bear didn’t give a shit.

“Is your mom bowlegged?” she continued.

“Excuse me?” Cash was caught off guard by that one.

“You had to fucking wreck her when you were born. I wanna know if she’s recovered. How the hell does somebody give birth to a bear as big as you?”

Cash’s brain was misfiring at the switch in conversation. He schooled his expression so she wouldn’t realize he’d been affected by that question.

“Shifters are born normal size, just like humans. My mom said I was her easiest pregnancy and birth, thank you very much,” Cash said.

“It’s a wonder,” she said. She’d let her head fall to his shoulder what with the rubbing and all. She wasn’t in pain. She was supremely relaxed, not that she’d let him know that.

“I bet you spend your summers with your big bear butt sitting in a stream eating raw fish,” she tried, throwing in a little disgust in her voice.

“I saw that nature show too, Sprite. And no, I don’t spend my summers like that. I work all summer like most people. When I let my bear out, he often likes to hunt and fish. He’s his own animal. I don’t usually try to influence him when we are shifted. He needs his own time in his fur.”

It was hard to explain to humans how the sharing of one body and two souls worked. Two souls, two bodies, but Cash was always the dominate one in the relationship. His bear knew that they lived in a human world. He rarely pushed Cash on anything, but then Cash kept his bear happy with lots of time in the woods.

Cassie wanted to ask to see his bear. But then that would look like she cared.

“So, you probably should be heading home for dinner now, huh?” she tried.

“No, I’m not leaving you. I’ve spent decades looking for you. I’ve had you for less than two hours. I’m not wasting a second away from you.”

Shit, well that didn’t work. Cassie was wracking her brain. She needed to think like a big bossy bear to get him to agree to take a hike.

“Uh, I need to call Effie. You know girl bonding. She can give me some insight about all of this.” She figured there was no way he’d deny her that.

“
N
o
.”

Cassie pulled her head from his chest. “What the hell do you mean no? I can call whoever I want. You’re not the boss of me!” Cassie gave the broad chest a thump.

“Ow,” he said looking at her with way too much humor in his eyes.

“Where is my phone?” Cassie asked, pushing away from him.

“You aren’t calling Effie because Dax has already been called. He is letting Effie rest tonight and bringing her to you tomorrow,” Cash explained calmly.

Damn, Cassie thought. Her friend would be here tomorrow, just like she needed her to be. And if Dax didn’t want her to call her tonight, it was because he didn’t want Effie worrying about her. She always came first for Dax. Cassie thought that was amazing. But now this man under her was doing the same for her. How did you shit on something like that?

“She’s coming?” Cassie asked quietly.

“Yeah, baby, she’s coming. I know this is not what you expected. But things change, life gives you what you need, and you need me. I’m here, and I’m not leaving you. You can push all you want; it won’t change what I have to do,” he told her, bringing his hand up to the back of her neck.

Normally Cassie would bring out her karate chop moves on any guy that had the balls to grab her neck in that way. But for some reason that confused her; it felt good. It felt safe, almost, dare she say it? Loving?

“This isn’t how I was supposed to recuperate. I was gonna stay here for a few weeks then go home. Not have some furry beast decide to make me his chew toy.” She was trying for annoyed, but it came out sad.

Cash hated hearing that sadness in her voice. “What were your plans for tonight, if I hadn’t come in here and claimed you?”

That ruffled her feathers a bit. “You didn’t claim me. You are just like a naughty dog with a new chew toy. I’m sure tomorrow you will see the light shining bright and realize you had a momentary lapse of judgment. Then you will send a hell no voicemail or hell, I’ll even accept a text, to tell me you’ve come to your senses and wish me a happy life.”

“No.”

“Fucking hell! Will you stop saying no; it’s annoying!” She slapped at his chest again. She resisted the urge to feel him up even though she wanted to.

“Stop swearing, and it would be impossible for me to change my mind. Even if I tried to lie and say you weren’t my mate, my bear knows better. You’re stuck with me. You could run away to Brazil, and I’d just follow,” he told her confidently.

Cassie didn’t respond to that. She tried for a look of mocking. By his expression, she failed miserably.

“So tell me. What grand plans did you have for your evening?” he pushed.

“Let’s see. I was going to enjoy my burritos, which, by the way, are now probably soggy and gross. Then I was going to watch a little of my favorite show, then probably masturbate and fall asleep. Pretty much what I’ve been doing every night since my accident. Well minus the burritos, the food changes but not the TV and diddling.” Cassie figured that would shut him up. Tacky little thing she was would probably have him running.

Instead, she heard a low rumble that tickled her ears and her body as she felt the vibration. It wasn’t laughter. It was something else.

“Well, I brought you the food. I’d prefer not to watch TV, but I know I can help you with your other plans. If you’ll let me,” he growled into her ear.

The low sound made her panties wet, and she didn’t even care. She knew he knew. Effie said it was impossible to keep it from Dax when she was in the mood. So this big bear dude totally knew his words got her motor revving.

“No thank you,” she tried. She was so screwed. Or she would be if she gave him the high sign.

“Are you sure about that, Sprite? I’m good at it. Clothes on, maybe a little under the pants action. I’ll stay fully dressed. I’ll just make you feel good.”

Cassie was working up a refusal. Something harsh and firm. But then she thought about the firmness under her. No, bad idea. That ridged line under her had trouble written all over it. Shit that would be an awesome and painful tattoo. She giggled.

“My offer is funny?” Cash asked, not mad, just curious.

“No, I thought about your dick pressing into my ass, and I thought that it had trouble written all over it. Then I thought what a great idea for a tattoo. Painful but awesome. Then I thought ‘Oh shit, a guy could tell a girl, “Here comes trouble!”’ and that would be classic!” she said laughing. Then her laughter turned a bit hysterical when she tried to picture this big man with that tattoo.

Cash held her while she laughed. It was a great look on her. Her eyes were bright, and her grin huge. He needed to keep her laughing the whole time. Laughter healed.

Cassie let her laughter die down. She became aware that the hand that had been rubbing her back had slid down and was now cupping her ass. His other hand was on her hip, this thumb rubbing along the crease between her leg and hip. It normally was a ticklish spot on her. This time, that spot was directly linked to her clit. Damn.

“If I say yes, do you think I’m saying yes to everything? Because I’m not. I can’t be your mate. I can’t be whatever you think I’m supposed to be for you. I can barely take care of myself. You need some bear lady that wants to stay home bake cookies and be your fluffy cub breeder.”

“Fluffy cub breeder?” Cash said with a laugh.

“You know what I mean. I’m not for you. I’m not for anyone I’ve come to understand. I’m the party girl that you would never take home to your family.” Cassie hated admitting it. It never bothered her before who she was. But then she never really thought about, and it sounded bad as she said it. She hadn’t planned on being that girl. But survival had molded her into it. She was tough and didn’t care. You couldn’t be let down if you didn’t expect much.

“Oh… how do I get you to understand,” Cash said. He was talking more to himself than her. She could hear it. The woman in his arms was a hundred pounds of stubborn.

“I do understand. I’m not what you need,” she whispered.

“Fine, I believe you. But I know that I’m exactly what you need,” he said. Cash let his hand that was on her hip slide over so his thumb slid over the front of her pants, right over her clit.

Cassie sucked in a breath. That was the sweet spot.

She should tell him to stop, but she was greedy. She liked to come, like a lot.

“You gonna let me?” he asked into her ear.

“Hmm?” Cassie was trying to work up an eloquent argument to make him stop brushing his thumb over the achy nub. She had nothing.

Cash stopped this thumb, and Cassie let out an embarrassing mewl. Shit, she was easy.

He picked her up like she weighed nothing and turned her gently so her back was against his chest. Grabbing a pillow, he tucked it under her knee and made sure her foot was comfortably on the outside of his leg.

Cash slid her legs out a little and ran his hand across her stomach. “You comfy?”

“Comfy, sure,” Cassie said, wondering how often he was just going to move her around for his own needs. Pretty often she guessed

Cash didn’t give her time to think up a reason for him not to keep touching her. His bear needed to be closer to her scent, and there was one sure way to appease his beast. Taking his hand from her belly, he slid it down between her legs. He gave a slow dragging rub over the heat. Pulling up towards the waistband of her leggings. His middle finger making direct contact over her clit.

As he made it to the top of her pants, he pushed his hand under and discovered his mate was going commando. He let a low growl roll out of him. “No panties.”